GEORGE TOWN: Lion and dragon dance troupes are breathing a sigh of relief as they are now allowed to perform in the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) after not being permitted to do so for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thang Loong Culture and Sports Association lion and dragon dance troupe head, Tan Jeong Bao said his team, comprising 80 members aged 10 to 50, was delighted that lion and dragon dance performances are allowed this Chinese New Year.
"After almost two years of not being able to perform, our troupe members are eager to return to enliven this year's Chinese New Year celebrations.
"Although we did not receive a high number of bookings compared with the previous years, we will still do our best to entertain and are happy to be back in action," he said when contacted here.
Tan said his team has been training for the last three months and as a precautionary measure all of them would undergo Covid-19 screening tests beforehand to prevent the spread of infection.
He said, other than that, only fully vaccinated members, aged 18 and above, were allowed to take part in the performances.
The government has recently announced that more relaxed standard operating procedures (SOP) for the CNY celebrations this year, including allowing family reunion dinner scheduled to take place on Jan 31 and house-to-house visits.
National Unity Minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique was reported to have said that lion, dragon and tiger dances would also be allowed subject to the SOP under the creative industry guidelines issued by the Communications and Multimedia Ministry. - Bernama